Is Mysticism Real?
Yes, mysticism is real, a tiny fraction of people in all places and at all times have wanted to experience union with whatever it was that they perceived to be Continue Reading
Minimalist tip for the modern Stoic – Hard drives
Just to start off Stoicism is not asceticism like the Cynic school is, instead it’s a middle way philosophy; not going to the extremes of pleasure nor asceticism. The Stoic Continue Reading
Selected Ajahn Chah Quotes
Nine wise quotes by Buddhist scholar Ajahn Chah, we hope they give you inspiration! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Continue Reading
The real cause of death
I’m a middle-aged man who is also quite cynical, that’s why I was disgusted to recently see a TV advertisement by a cancer care charity that focused heavily on the Continue Reading
Seneca’s Mindfulness
During his exile in Corsica, Seneca wrote to his mother Helvia whom he told his worrying mother all was well, all this can be found in Seneca’s consolations by the Continue Reading
Happiness and the void…
At the Stand-up Philosophers, we advocate that Nihilists should be happy because many are not. Indeed there’s a long literary tradition of miserable nihilists depressing everyone by telling them that Continue Reading
Doing a Chrysippus
The Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus (279 – c. 206 BC) was a major figure in Stoicism, he was head of that school and was reputed to be a prolific Continue Reading
What is God?
it’s not possible to know anything you can’t conceive of, God in the Judeo/Christian sense is beyond human conception, so you can’t know God. You can only know aspects of Continue Reading
Getting out of your own way…
For most of my life, I’ve felt like I was drowning, feverishly thrashing under the water scrambling my way to the surface which is forever out of reach. No matter Continue Reading
The Pernicious Rise of Anti Natalist Philosophy
Have you ever thought that the planet might be better off without humanity? If so then you’ve been anti-natalist which is a philosophical position that assigns a negative value to Continue Reading
The dissatisfied Viking
This short article builds upon the recent article I published: Buddhist philosophy – Exploring Dukkha as more than just suffering, as well as a helping from stoic philosophy to Continue Reading
The humble honesty of a Roman emperor
“I am made up of the casual and the material. Neither of these will disappear into nothing, just as neither came to be out of nothing. So every part Continue Reading
Staring at Lions – What is Panpsychism
Panpsychism or the idea that the entire universe is conscious is suddenly respectable again. After years of battering by materialists everywhere Monism has suddenly found a new lease of life Continue Reading
The Ghosts That Haunt Me…
Every man has his demons, if you don’t it’s either because you are very young or haven’t lived. We all are guaranteed one thing in life and that is the Continue Reading
A Tree Falls Down in the Forest…
This is a popular philosophical question, ‘If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?’ Irish idealist philosopher George Continue Reading
Beaches…
Beaches are surreal places; where the ocean meets the land. There’s something timeless about a beach, eternal almost. At your left hand, you have the orderliness of the land, at Continue Reading
Marcus Aurelius on Death and the Cessation of Being
Like all great philosophers Marcus Aurelius the noblest of the Emperors of Rome also pondered death. Here’s a collection of quotes detailing what he had to say on the subject. Continue Reading
Why is Sophistry Bad?
Thanks to Plato and his dialogues of Socrates the term ‘Sophist,’ is not held in high esteem. To accuse someone of ‘sophistry’ is to imply that they are acting in Continue Reading